Does anyone remember Harvey Pack?
 

I was a Harvey Pack fan. He was a racing analyst for NYRA in the 80's. He might have been with them before and after. I am not sure. I heard him on an internet stream a few days ago; it was for a classic race. I am not sure which it was ; I was watching several in that time period. I still remember his review of 1984; I kept that tape(because of Swale and Slew O' Gold). Unlike the ESPN crew, this guy really knew his stuff.

Harvey was/is a character....He was an entertainer first and formost
May the Horse Be With You

I spoke to him on the phone about two hours ago.

He does the Siro's handicapping seminars with some other guy whose name I can't remember. :p

Whoever that guy is,he sure "uses" a lot of horses.

I forgot to mention.....Harvey's biography will be coming out from DRF before August. Seriously.

That is pretty awesome

Actually,I use to make sure to listen to that show in the a.m. I didn't do it this last year.I don't know why.Probably because I deemed the track to be impossible.

Back in the 1980s, the only racing I could get on my cable system in Columbus Ohio was the nightly New York replays, so I got to know Harvey quite well. Gosh, wouldn't it be great to have a real old-style racetrack character like Harvey on HRTV or TVG? Some of the HRTV guys are so bland as to be invisible. Or interchangeable.

When you are his age,success is urinating straight.

If you want to see Harvey at Belmont go to the Clubhouse, go up one level and there is section on the backside of the clubhouse with seats and tv monitors on each desk. Harvey used to sit in one of the first few rows of that area.

Pack at the Track recreations of race calls from the 70's. Used to hear them on WNBC radio 660 and someone in each OTB back then always had a radio playing to hear the call.

Harvey is classic and I sit at home working during Saratoga making my schedule around listening to his show. I think Andy is as close to Harvey as they come and wouldn't be suprised if he's really Harvey's illegitamate son. Hope he's back next year. Andy do you think he will?

Steve, you ought to get him on ATRAB.

Spyder from SC

He'll be there.

He used to do the recap show here on Sportchannel when they were in existence.His trademark sign off was "Good night may the horse be with you"At that point he would throw his program towards the camera.His recreations of the race on WNBC 660 like someone already stated were awesome.He always said never bet a horse as a favorite running a distance for the very first time.

When I first really got into racing (about 1986) his show on Sportschannel N.Y.
was the first thing I'd watch when I got home from work.
My parents wanted to watch the local news @ 6, but the NYRA race replays with Harvey were more important.
I still have many of them from the late 80's on VHS tape.

He also had a line for a first time starter who went off less than even money.
He would often say, "This must be the fastest horse ever to race"(or something like that)
Harvey is a player and the NY Players loved his schtick.

My father and I used to watch that show every night. Do you remember that character Demucci that Harvey would have as a guest on his show? Demucci would come on and tout some hopeless pick and Harvey would berate him. What ever happened to Demucci?

Don't forget "Samyn on the Green".. actually I wish I could forget that now. JL wasn't a young man 25 years ago when Harvey said that.

That's great news! Harvey is going to get tired signing all of the books at Siros everyday!

Was his first name Tony? I remember "Louie the Clocker" though, I think he passed away quite young :(

Hickory,

Yeah his name was Tony Demucci, I believe he was just a "regular" who Harvey found amusing.

Even though those shows are about twenty years old,
they seem so fresh when it came to racing in N.Y.
It isn't like that anymore...

I told him the other day we would have to have daily autograph sessions.

Louie was a wonderful man. He is missed.

That is awesome !!! See you at Siros !!!!!!!!!

Roddy Valente owned him.

Harvey will always be the best..

I'll never forgive NYRA for getting rid of him... he should have had a spot there for as long as he wanted.

"your about to see the fastest horse in the world"
(He used that quote on odds on favs...that usually didn't win :))))

I remember him saying on the last show at the Spa, "If little Andy doesn't come back, he wasn't either" or something like that.

Love the guy
:)

One of my favorite "Packisms" was from when he was the handicapper with a fictional bankroll of $1,000 (or Whatever it was) on the first few Breeders Cup Telecasts and he would say he was "I'm going to El Paso" meaning he wasn't going to wager on this race as he could pick a horse or the odds were suitable.

I got the impression that is why the BC stopped inviting him to be the handicaper and went to Tom Hammonds and Mike Battaglia. We all know Harvey was a much better capper than the two of them will ever be.

I'll be looking forward to reading his biography, it should be interesting.

Here's a couple Harvey vids...

He interviews everyones favorite Jan Rushton on Inside Racing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cCqhfuJIp0

A random one including the old "may the horse be with you" line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg0eyVmPt5o

I will buy this book. Harvey Pack is a tremendous gift, not to racing, but to mankind. When one individual can possess this man's way, his amazing sense of humor, which most could only pray for, he's got something special.

The rest of us, we're the beneficiaries. This man's age doesn't mean a thing, he has more people skills than many will learn in their lifetimes. He's priceless.

Oh, he's priceless allright.....but the first part will get a laugh even from him.

The guy with the goatee who always picks chalk. Yeah....can't remember his name.

And I hope so, as it is true.

That video was from about 1995 or '96, Jan dressed really "conservative"
back then.

That is a wonderful coincidence. Please inform him that he has a big fan in Sussex County, NJ named Jan. Thanks.:D